Please come for a benefit for Caitlynn, a 6 year old from Fitchburg, who attends my son's school. She is on a 2.5 year treatment protocol to fight leukemia. There will be music by "The Paoli Project," karaoke by the Canaries, children's crafts, and a silent auction. Suggested donation is $10/person or $25/family. Contact Dawn for more information, or if you would like to make a donation but cannot attend on Sunday, 608-276-9512. This is an excellent opportunity for neighbors to help out neighbors in need. Thank you.
You can see details and sign up at:
Just wanted to send out a quick notice about my event.
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gptmxq
It invites folks to shop at sites like:
http://madebysurvivors.com/
http://www.thehungersite.com, and it's companion sites, and
http://kiva.org/
Feel free to suggest others...
Wisconsin is of course one of the battleground states this year. Kerry so narrowly won the state in 2004, that if you spread the difference in votes out, he only won by two votes per ward. That gives people the sense that any involvement on their part can make a real difference.
I just wanted to send out a quick reminder that there are still a few days left to send the Obama campaign a message relaying your support, but urging them to make a statement supporting peaceful free speech. A link to the event and a copy of the post are below. Thanks.
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gpgyts
I know that Obama is not in charge of organizing the DNC, and certainly not overseeing the city's preparations for the event. However, there has been concern about recent news that a warehouse has been set up to detain protesters, and about where protesters will be allowed. (At this point the only news is that they will be behind a fence in parking lot A--video re: both at http://cbs4denver.com/denver2008). I know that security must be maintained, but I would like to see Barack make a statement acknowledging these concerns and voicing his support for peaceful free speech. Please contact him, voicing your support for his candidacy, but also relaying your concern about these matters.
I have not been very active with the campaign for the last month. I was really disappointed in the FISA decision. That, and the fact that I have two kids full time for the summer, made it harder to get the motivation to get much done. Yet I think there is too much at stake in this election not to do everything I can to ensure that Obama is elected. I think this country is at a tipping point and we really can't afford a McCain presidency. The Supreme Court seats alone could fundamentally change the direction of the country, not to mention the impact of global climate change. I also still believe that Obama's record and history demonstrate that he does represent my overall values. Further, he will be our candidate. He will have been elected due to support from people at the grassroots who he has said he will listen to. It will simply be our job as citizens to make sure that we make our voices heard, and take part in supporting the issues we believe in. I'm trying to take to heart the slogan that we are the change we've been waiting for. I still have hope.
Come on down to Cafe Montmartre to see Big Mouth Cooperative and show your support for Obama. Big Mouth is a local eight piece band that plays a blend of funk and jazz (http://www.myspace.com/bigmouthcoop). You can dance or just sit back and enjoy the music and the half-price bottles of wine. There is no cover but we'll be accepting donations inside. You can also sign up to volunteer for the campaign and even register to vote!
Cafe Montmartre (themomo.com)
127 E. Mifflin St. Madison, WI 53703
You can sign up for this event at Wisconsin for Obama if you don't find it elsewhere.
I just wanted to share a link I discovered from the National Latinos for Obama newsletter that I thought deserved wider distribution. It was written by someone who was not a big Obama supporter but is now interested in getting him elected over McCain. It gives very helpful suggestions on how to respond to specific criticisms about Obama. I think one of it's greatest strengths is that it puts you in the place of the Hillary, Edwards, etc supporter and has you think about it from their point of view. It gives examples of both effective and ineffective responses. It's a little long but I am really glad I took the time to read it!
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/6/9/204346/8388/356/515265
When I was getting started on making calls to supporters a couple of days ago I thought I should check out the vote for change home page: http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/vfchome. I wanted to be sure I knew how it was set up in case I got any questions. So, I looked up Madison where I knew there was an active drive with multiple groups. I was quite surprised to see no events listed. I realized that there must be a lack of coordination between on-line and locally organized events. There is one listed for Madison now (I made a call to the field office), but I know that all the events are still not there. So, two things:
-When making calls be sure not to just give out the website but to suggest that they contact their field office, or perhaps county clerks office to see if an active drive exists in their area. (In WI you have to be deputized by the county clerk.) Please let me know if anyone has other ideas on this. I happily was calling Madison so was able to give out specific info. I think the site is set up to have people calling locally but I did get some numbers from the north part of the state.
-If you are involved with an event, be sure to post it on the website so that we can remedy this problem. You can of course also encourage those you're calling to post an event if they find one that hasn't been listed.
I also think it would be helpful if the home page didn't just list specific events, but gave contact information for local organizers so people would know where they are needed most. I think people are more apt to follow though if they talk to an actual person than just find out about an event. Finally, I would like to see a link for the vote for change home page on the action center page. Please let me know if any of this is wrong or if I've been missing something.
Hope this is helpful and please do make the calls. It's great to connect with other excited supporters. By getting others to volunteer you are multiplying your own impact.
I just wanted to write and share what a positive experience I've had making calls for the campaign. I'm a mom with two small kids so it can be hard to get out to many events, but the on-line phone banking has allowed me an outlet to get involved and make me feel like I'm making a real difference. While I've encountered a few grumpy folks, the many people who have been so happy to talk to me has more than made up for it. I find that the vast majority are at least polite and willing to listen, and many have warmly thanked me for my efforts. It has been interesting and rewarding to connect with people from all over the country and share a renewed enthusiasm and hope. I've also enjoyed the concrete results of being able to sway peoples votes, get them to volunteer themselves, or help them get a ride or needed info to vote.
I wanted to encourage everyone to keep up the calls, or to give it a try if you haven't already. You can try making just a few calls, but you might find that it's hard to stop. :)
Forgive me for focusing on the negative, but please watch this, he has done as excellent job of saying the many things that are wrong with her comments.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id...
I just wanted to quickly thank everyone for all the responses to my request for tips for WV calls. It has proved useful and I have had a bit more success since then. I have primarily started out (after asking them how they are) by reminding them about the primary and giving them some general information about poll hours etc.--kind of a public service call. That has helped me ease in and have gotten a few people talking and may have convinced a couple. :)
Keep on calling...
I have called a lot of states, but so far I'm finding it tough to get people to talk in WV. Any suggestions for those who may have had better luck? I know there is a conference call tonight but unfortunately I won't be able to call in at that time. I hope that it will be available to listen to on the call page.
Thanks in advance, Stephanie from WI
